Mitsumasa Hamano : I supported a lot of paddlers as a member of steering committee in this event, and my work was preparation before the race. All I had in my mind was “What should I do for them to make their race better?” At first, I didn’t know what I should do in order to concentrate on the race because I’ve never watched Dragon Boat, not to mention I’ve never participated in it!

Therefore, I talked to some paddlers about their problems related to the boat before starting the race, and I realized that they were worried about the water in the boat. I thought it was a common issue for the water to flow into the boat during the race, but this was my thought. After realizing it, I removed the water from the boat as much as possible during my free time. I learned that it is important to be aggressive for someone to go through this experience.

Kanon Ushio : I learned a lot of things through the experience of joining this event as a member of the staff. My task was to remind each team of the race schedule and to make sure they gather at the boarding area on time at every race. Although I was only assisting for two days, I realized I could not excuse myself because participants would ask me a lot of questions, thinking of me as one of the staff because I was wearing an official T-shirt. Therefore, I had to equip myself with details and information about the event.

It was a bit tough running up and down under the sun day but actually I felt a sense of achievement after I spoke to some paddlers as they appreciate my assistance by saying “Thank you for your hard work.” at the end of the event.

I’m so happy that I was given the opportunity to join this big international event. We were blessed with such a lovely weather for the race through the weekends, (even though it is monsoon season now, the power of dragon defeated the rain!) Special thanks to all the teams from all over the world, event organizers, and everyone for making these three days wonderful! See you next year! ☺